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Bruneian Empire

Empire of Brunei
Bruneian Sultanate
امبراطورية بروني
1368–1888


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The extent of the Bruneian Empire in the 15th century
Capital Kota Batu
Kampong Ayer
Brunei Town
Languages Brunei Malay, Old Malay, Arabic and Bornean languages
Religion Sunni Islam
Government Monarchy
Sultan (until last empire)
 •  1368–1402 Sultan Muhammad Shah
 •  1425–1432 Sultan Sharif Ali of Mecca
 •  1485–1524 Sultan Bolkiah
 •  1828–1852 Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II
 •  1885–1906 Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin
Historical era Golden Age
 •  Sultanate established 1368
 •  Became protectorate of British 1888
Currency Barter, Cowrie and later Brunei pitis
Preceded by
Succeeded by
[[uncertain]]
Sultanate of Sulu
Spanish East Indies
Dutch East Indies
Kingdom of Sarawak
Crown Colony of Labuan
North Borneo
Brunei
Today part of  Brunei
 Malaysia
 Philippines
 Indonesia


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The Bruneian Empire or Empire of Brunei /brˈn/, also known as Sultanate of Brunei, was a Malay sultanate, centred in Brunei on the northern coast of Borneo island in Southeast Asia. The kingdom was founded in the early 7th century, started as a small seafaring trading kingdom ruled by a native pagan or Hindu king known by the Chinese as Po-Li or Po-Ni (渤泥). Bruneian kings converted to Islam around the 15th century, when it grew substantially since the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, extending throughout coastal areas of Borneo and the Philippines, before it declined in the 17th century.

Understanding the history of the Bruneian Empire is quite difficult since it is hardly mentioned in contemporary sources of its time, as well as there being a scarcity of evidence of its nature. No local or indigenous sources exist to provide evidence for any of this. As a result, Chinese texts have been relied on to construct the history of early Brunei.Boni in Chinese sources most likely refers to Borneo as a whole, while Poli 婆利, probably located in Sumatra, is claimed by local authorities to refer to Brunei as well.

The earliest diplomatic relations between Boni (渤泥) and China are recorded in the Taiping Huanyu Ji (太平環宇記) (978).

In 1225, a Chinese official, Zhao Rugua, reported that Boni had 100 warships to protect its trade, and that there was a lot of wealth in the kingdom.

In the 14th century, Brunei seems to be subjected to Java. The Javanese manuscript Nagarakretagama, written by Prapanca in 1365, mentioned Barune as the vassal state of Majapahit, which had to make an annual tribute of 40 katis of camphor. In 1369, the Sulus attacked Po-ni, looting it of treasure and gold. A fleet from Majapahit succeeded in driving away the Sulus, but Po-ni was left weaker after the attack. A Chinese report from 1371 described Po-ni as poor and totally controlled by Majapahit.


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